Diva
by MiyuTanemura
Summary: The group goes on a mission to protect a village from a raging ballerina. How will things turn out? Challenge from Fairy Tail Mania. NatsuxGray


Disclaimer: Fairy Tail or this song by Origa don't belong to me

A/N: I was hanging through a Writing Challenge at Fairy Tail Mania and this is what came out. I think it is more serious than expected but, it's what I could do. I hope you enjoy it and find the story a little interesting. I don't know much about ballet but I hope that the action with it'll be easy to follow.

**Diva**

At Fairy Tail Guild everything was happening as usual. Everybody was lazing around, trying to avoid going in yet other mission. Lucy was sitting at the counter, talking to Mirajane and Jubia (being the honorary member). They were discussing the dance theme. That was the last trend and all the girls in Magnolia were trying to learn a dance, be it alone or accompanied. Mirajane had been contacted by the Sorcerer magazine to be notified that her next article was going to be about the theme in question.

So, she had some research to do in order not to disappoint her fans (even if in the article in question they were only going to photograph her in several costumes related to dance).

"I always wanted to do something that could be easily danced on the outside. In couples, preferably." Jubia was saying, "But nobody wanted to dance with me and in all the festivals everybody had a partner to dance with but me…" a cloud of gloom was starting to appear around her.

Mirajane quickly interceded, "I also liked these kinds, salon dances, if I'm not mistaken, but what I always wanted to try was tap dance. Unfortunately I never had the chance to assist the course. Meh, at the inscription they even said I didn't have enough coordination between my torso and feet. I showed them with who they were messing around. But I still don't understand why they said that…" she lifted her arm and poised it on the counter, and put her face on her palm. Lucy was laughing while a figurative sweatdrop was falling from her forehead.

"Yeah, we have no idea… Anyway, for me, what I always wanted to be was a ballerina. And I had some classes. But when we got to a certain point the teacher stopped teaching me. She blamed my developing bust. Hey! It's not a matter to laugh at!" the other two were snickering. "It's not my fault that I developed early! Oh well, it probably was for the best. My father didn't think it appropriate for a person of my lineage to do such things." She sighed and the ambiance was getting heavy.

A voice behind them asked, "A ballerina? Have you seen the request board? I think there may be something that interests you." All the girls jumped in their seats at Erza's comment. Lucy got up and went to the board. Her curiosity had been picked.

She looked until she found it. She returned to her stool and read out loud, "_'We from the village of Egina request assistance in the matter of destruction that came upon us in the form of a ballerina.'_ Hmm, this is weird." She looked at Erza who was sporting a mischievous smile, eyes twinkling.

"Sooo… what do you think? Should we get the others and go?"

"Well, yeah. Now I'm interested in seeing how a ballerina can scare an entire village."

"Count me in. I'm sure Gray-sama will need help at-" she was cut by Lucy,

"I'm not sure if he will think like that but-"

A loud crash came from the door and two irate voices were arguing heatedly, again.

The calm had been broken as Gray and Natsu entered the Guild followed by Happy who was happily eating a fish. When the boys saw who was in the Guild both froze, an audible gulp could be heard. Happy flew relaxed to the counter where after nodding to the ladies in greeting, he laid down and continued his task of eating the fish with a series of contented mewling noises.

Erza was looking at the boys with a smile that they knew and meant bad news, "How wonderful of you to show up. We were precisely talking about going to get you so we can go to our next mission."

Both their mouths fell with shock. "Wha- Whaat?" they said at the same time. She ushered them to the door.

"Go pack. We are to meet at the train's station in an hour." Natsu and Gray promptly obeyed in a conditioned reflex, marching out with Happy, once again, flying after them. The other girls exchanged knowing looks and Lucy and Jubia left the Guild to arrange their own things.

One hour had passed and they were all waiting at the station's entrance while Erza was inside purchasing the tickets. They had Lucy, Jubia and Happy sitting on the stairs and flipping through a ballet book (it might be of some help later) and Natsu and Gray were by the pillars, talking.

"Come on, you can't throw a temper tantrum just because we're about to take the train. You know perfectly that it is the fastest way to get there. Besides, it just takes an hour and a half to get to Egina. You can surely handle it." Gray was saying in a cajoling way.

"That's what you say, you bastard. I hate this! Why couldn't we just walk there?" Natsu whined.

"Because it is faster by train and there's something on the way – I have no idea what because I never ventured to that area – that they _expressly_ demand that one's to be in a transportation means. It'll be easy. You just have to hang on." Natsu was turning a light shade of green.

"No, I can't do it. Just thinking about it I'm getting sick!" Gray patted his hair.

"Hey, don't think about it. It's all in your mind and you don't have to react like that. I had no idea that this weak point of yours could have such an influence. What do you think the girls will think about it? They've never seen you to this degree."

Natsu, by now was calming and his skin returning to its pinkish tone, he had his eyes closed as he listened to Gray. Until,

"What do you think you're doing? And don't you even dare repeat what you just said." He said while slapping away the hand that was still on his hair. Gray was smirking and was opening his mouth to retort when Erza's voice snapped everybody from their reverie.

"Our train's departing in ten minutes. Let's go!" she grabbed the luggage and entered followed by the whole group who had a very reluctant element, Natsu, walking as if he was going to face his doom.

The whole journey wasn't too bad, only punctuated with Natsu's attempt at emptying his stomach's contents once that was quelled by Gray dragging him to the toilet, other than that nothing else happened.

They were now on the village and Natsu, who now felt steady ground under his feet, was ready to face anything. Or so he thought…

The train's station they were leaving was half demolished – it was a wonder that the train still passed here, with the chaotic destruction of the village. People were walking down the streets with fear etched on their features and if any child started laughing, would be promptly ushered. They walked and stopped near an old man that was sitting in a rocking chair, looking at the horizon.

"Excuse me, sir, could you help us?" Erza was in mission mode, asking and taking in every aspect of things.

"What are you saying child? You have to speak louder 'cause I can't hear you."

Erza was about to do as requested when a plump woman came through the door, talking to her before she could answer the man.

"You're not going to get much information from my father. He's been deaf as a door for quite a while and you're lucky you don't have to listen to his story of how he single handedly killed an ursali. He likes to make up stories like that." She was ranting as she offered a sandwich to the elderly who started eating it as if he were starving. The woman leaned on the wall, "And what can I do for you, dear?"

"We're here because of the ballerina. We got the notice that she's terrorizing the region."

"Oh, yes, yes. You're talking about Etra. Poor girl… You see, she always wanted to enter the Lerna Ballet Company but last month, when she tried, they didn't let her enter by some reason and, after her return, she started destroying our poor village. She said it was our fault she didn't enter. The poor lass isn't thinking straight. Rumour has it she found some cursed ballet shoes and now we're like this."

"And how can we be sure that you're telling us the truth? You're too helpful in a village that has been looking suspiciously at us since our arrival. Don't you fear some reprisals from her?" Erza asked suspiciously.

"Well, we're related. Cousins in some degree and I know she has a special liking for my father. She wouldn't hurt him. And if I'm saying something is because I think it's time for her to get over it and keep following her dream in another company, if necessary! Just give us a break from all this drama and destruction. If she continues like this the whole village will be pulverized…" she shook her head and the group exchanged glances.

"Maybe you should find a place to stay. She won't start the show – as she calls it – before five o'clock." She turned and went inside the house. The group left the old man (that was singing something off tune) and walked in the direction of the Inn.

They got two rooms (fortunately they didn't cost much because of the village's current predicament) and now the group was just spending time, waiting for the appointed hour. They had a huge meal and when it was time, the ground stated shaking.

Glasses crashed on the floor and the group hurried to the street. They didn't see anything out of ordinary but as the noise and tremble of the earth increased they saw it.

A blonde girl was jumping high in the air, her body wrapped in diaphanous veils of black and purple, with a black maillot underneath and on her feet, bright red _pointe_ shoes that seemed to be beaming, completed the ensemble. The girl that seemed so fragile, put a knee on the ground and with her arms made a delicate bow. Getting up she went to an _en pointes_ position and elegantly gliding through the floor, approached a house. The owner of said house could be heard pleading but she paid no heed, lifting a leg, she did a pirouette in which the foot scrapped along the house's wall, making it crumble. The group watched this speechless but, at Erza's signal, they surrounded her.

The ballerina sensed them because she turned and with piercing blue eyes, she ran towards Erza (that only had time to equip with her stronger armour) and kicked.

Erza was thrown and crashed into a bunch of houses, destroying them in her wake. Natsu and Gray opted by a double attack but she jumped, pirouetted in the air and landed with a _plié_. From that form she went to a _battement_ position, the leg kicking with such velocity that she created a vacuum in the air right in front of her that threw both the boys to the initial house. Then she jumped and continued spreading destruction.

Lucy summoned Virgo to dig holes on the floor so that she fell into them but the ballerina had such a pliant body that easily avoided the holes. She continued with her exercises, performing to an invisible audience while destroying things that injured some less cautious inhabitants.

Everything was too quick but suddenly the girl disappeared and they ended looking at each other.

"So this is what they meant when they talked about the ballerina…" said Lucy.

"I suppose that this first incursion of ours wasn't very successful… Maybe we should try tomorrow…" Said Erza.

"Yes. Let's go back because it's almost night anyway. And it seems that snow might be on its way tonight."

Everybody agreed and they went to the Inn, trying not to look at the inhabitants' faces, willing to just take a bath, eat and sleep.

When the boys entered the room the first thing Natsu did was call room service. The hearth in their room was lit and he was looking at the flames hungrily.

"I'm taking a bath, ok? Try not to eat all the flames." Gray's voice came from the bathroom to where a trail of clothes led.

Natsu stretched, laying on the bed. He had the feeling that this was going to be a good night because it was just him and Gray (Happy was being taken care by the girls this night) and he could enjoy it entirely. A naughty grin appeared on his lips. Maybe he should surprise Gray on the bath. Nope. That wasn't a good idea, not only because room service was on the way but also because he would have the water at a ridiculously low temperature and they would end up arguing. So, he let himself be on the bed. He was almost dozing off when someone knocked on the door. Natsu opened it and two persons with trays overflowing with things entered and put them on the table near the window. When they were leaving one of them remained standing at the door, waiting for the tip. Natsu distractedly tossed a coin that was caught expertly. He grabbed one of the trays and brought it with him to the bed, sat in it and dug in. If Gray wasn't coming out of the bathroom it was his problem, because he was starving. This thought made him stop the fork mid-air in its track to his mouth. What was taking him so long? Sure, he was probably taking a bath, not a shower, but this was taking way too much… He was about to get up again when the bathroom door opened and from the mists emerged Gray, almost completely naked – as usual – with only a towel hanging low in his narrow hips. This sight was waking up another kind of hunger in Natsu.

Yes, it was an established fact that Gray was an exhibitionist and would get naked (well, on his boxers mostly) at the most ridiculous times. But it was another thing altogether to see him walking like that in the intimacy of their shared room. Just thinking that he could push that towel away and Gray wouldn't do anything, made his body temperature spike a few degrees.

Gray grabbed an apple and bit it. He could sense Natsu's eyes in him. "What?" he asked around a mouthful.

"Nothing, nothing. Let's eat!" but instead of attacking the food Natsu got up from the bed, locked the door and went to rummage through their bags and bedside tables. Gray watched this with mild interest, his main focus being the food tray that looked and smelled absolutely delicious. He attributed some of this strange behaviour at their train travel. Natsu had been too distressed and that wasn't common at all. Natsu finally sat by his side and, in companionable silence they attacked.

Dinner was a messy affair, as any meal was when Natsu was involved, and they had some little skirmishes about things they both favoured (the struggle to the final piece of meat was legendary). When they finished the fruit and deserts, Gray was cleaning the trays and piling them on the table where they wouldn't bother anyone. Natsu was in the bathroom cleaning himself. Soon the water stopped running and Natsu exited that room, his scarf unwound from his neck. He looked very relaxed, almost as it they weren't on a mission. He was looking at Gray with candid eyes, a soft expression on his face. Gray smiled softly at him in response. It was true that they were always bickering and fighting and trying to prove each other wrong but ever since they had been in that mission back then and Gray – in such bad condition that he thought he would die – had declared himself at Natsu (his feeling obviously reciprocated) that they had developed this complicity, this love. It might be very cliché but they had _proved_ that opposites _do_ attract. Natsu, being the sometimes brash Natsu he was, had to destroy this calm. He walked to the bed where Gray was sitting and jumped into it, making the mattress bounce. His naughty smirk (that left a sharp canine poking) meant no good, Gray thought exasperatedly. He leaned so close to Gray that the latter had to lie down on the bed.

"Are you going to explain me why did you take so long in the bath? That's unusual and pretty much typical of girls." Gray was beginning to flush.

"And coming outside with only that flimsy towel… Are you trying to provoke me?" Natsu's hand was caressing the delectable expanse of flawless (well, with minor scratches that gave him more personality, that were worthy of a man! Oh Gods, Natsu's mind was being taken over by Elfman! He tried to reign over his mind again) skin. He might've had dinner just moments ago but the more skin he touched, the more his hunger grew. Hunger for Gray.

* * *

Natsu pulled up the covers and laying behind Gray he embraced him, his arm across Gray's mid-section.

"I love how docile you get when we're like this." He murmured against Gray's hair.

"Shut up!" Gray growled at the same time he intertwined their fingers and that way they fell into a fitful sleep.

The following morning they woke up with Lucy pounding on the door, saying, "Rise and shine! It's time to wake up. We're going downstairs to have breakfast. Hurry up and come." They heard her footsteps diminish in intensity as she walked down the hall.

Gray murmured contently and turned to Natsu. For a split second they thought they could spend some time like this but: a) the girls were waiting for them and certain that they were awake (after almost having the door knocked down, who wouldn't?) and b) it was a bit too cheesy for their liking.

So they extricated themselves from the other and took a quick shower (separately), dressed up and in no time were entering the Inn's cafeteria. From a table Jubia was doing frantic arm movements. They got to the table and sat. "Good mor-"

"Yes, yes. We all had a great night's sleep. Now, to things that matter." Erza cut impatiently. "Apparently she does two '_performances'_ each day. One in the morning, well, around midday and other at 5 o'clock." She sipped the glass of milk. "I don't know if we can defeat her when she's dancing – just think of yesterday. But we may have a chance if we get to her house and try to rationalize with her. We have to stop her because the village can't be destroyed."

"And do we know where she lives?" inquired Gray. Lucy turned from her toast and looked resigned. "Yes, we've already cleared that. Her house is at the end of the main road." Gray noticed how she wasn't very optimistic. "And the problem is…?"

"Yeah, why are you so down? It should be easy to get there and try to knock some sense into her." Natsu said from around a mouthful of food.

Erza put both elbows on the table and leaned her chin in her hands. "The problem is that, somehow, she deformed the space and now she's not only protected by a large portion of ground that converged and formed a steep cliff but there may also exist unknown magic protecting it. We're not the first ones to try to do this and the others weren't successful so we have to think of this in every aspect." She explained gravelly.

"But we'll be heading there right after breakfast, right?" Natsu noted as he was pulling another dish to his front.

"Yes."

They were walking down the road and now they could fully understand what she meant when she talked about the cliff. They saw a massive black mass that rose from the ground, surrounded by common trees and had irregular dots of green amidst the pointy peaks. In the top of it all a light brown fence limited the plane ground where the house stood. The house was like all the others from the village, two-storey with a porch in the front. All this was covered by a shimmering distortion. Thankfully it hadn't snowed the night before.

"So… How do we get up there?" Jubia inquired as they looked at it.

"I can fly, aye!" Happy said as he exemplified.

"Maybe we could get Happy to take us there."

"No we can't. He only can carry one person at a time and whoever he got up there would be in extreme disadvantage at whatever that might come their way."

"Our only option is to climb it." Erza concluded, reequipping another armour. "Are we ready? Don't forget, stay together. Let's go!"

They reached the boundary, where the shimmering began at the base and cautiously crossed it.

Nothing happened, so they started climbing.

It was very inclined but a light trail had been made (by their predecessors probably). Lucy was cursing at having dressed a skirt that morning and threatened the boys in case they looked up. They finally assumed a certain order, Erza and Happy (who was flying) in the front were followed by Natsu, Jubia, Gray and Lucy.

When they had climbed around 20 meters a sudden wind started blowing. It was unnatural and blew strongly from opposite directions. The wind cut the group in two and then, as if it magically became a hand, surrounded both the groups and threw them to different sides of the cliff.

Erza, Natsu and Happy had fallen in a woody zone, being somewhat cushioned by the green leaves.

"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell?" Natsu growled as he grabbed an unconscious Happy. It had been bad luck that made Happy fall under Natsu and be squashed by him. Erza was already standing and looking to the side. "This was the magic I was talking about. We were lucky in landing here. I don't see the others but we better continue. They know where we're going so, as long as we don't have more surprises we'll be fine."

Natsu had managed to wake Happy up and perched him on his shoulder. "You're right."

And they continued the climb.

Gray, Lucy and Jubia hadn't been that lucky; they had been thrown into an arid zone, with very pointy elevations. What saved them was Jubia's quick thinking, making a large water cushion that broke their fall, stopping them mere centimetres from the tips. They grabbed the rocks and managed to climb higher, getting back to a zone that looked like it was used. Then, a sharp wind was felt again behind them. Gray looked and the distortion, that was composed by a myriad of colours, was right in front of them, descending ominously towards them. Multi-coloured threads extended in their direction. Gray raised an ice wall that the threads, as they touched it, consumed.

"Crap, this didn't stop them!" Gray shouted as they were now climbing at breakneck speed.

"Gate of the Archer, I open thee. Sagittarius!" Lucy shouted from up ahead. Sagittarius appeared and she demanded him to throw his arrows at the distortion. The first arrow was shot, the threads reaching to it. Lucy's eyes lit and she asked him to throw the arrows into various directions, with the most strength possible and the fastest he could. Sagittarius got into pose and complied. The group continued climbing and only when they could see the fence nearing they looked back.

The distortion was expanding to try to reach the arrows and growing, having to spend much energy, so it was joining the mists of distortions that were dispersed through the cliff, guarding it. The wind was all converging to that zone, passing sharply through their bodies. Lucy called back Sagittarius. Her plan had worked.

"How (cough) how did you know that it would react like that?" rasped Gray, who was grabbing Jubia before she fell with the wind's strength.

"I didn't know it would work, just had this idea when I saw how it consumed your ice wall. It thought it might be attracted to the magic so when Sagittarius' arrows were thrown into various places, it would stretch but the core would have to remain centred otherwise it would disperse and lose all the strength. I'm glad it worked."

"Yeah. And I also think it lowered the defences. Look how the fence isn't shinning as much. We should hurry inside before it returns."

"You're right."

"What do you think this means?" Natsu asked at the howling of the wind and lack of glimmer in the fence they had crossed easily.

"Maybe our friends are up to something, I don't know…" Erza was checking the vines that grew into the open window. "They'll be here soon and we should at least be inside to welcome them." She started climbing. Natsu sighed and climbed after her.

"Hm, now how should we enter the house? What if it's protected?" asked Jubia.

"I don't know about that but the shimmering's coming back. And we don't know what it may do to people here." Said Lucy.

Gray froze the front door handle and they entered the house. It was dark at first but as their eyes got accustomed to the darkness they could see they were in the middle of a living room. It had the usual furniture and bookcases but there was one wall covered with photos, journal articles and other weird stuff, from what they could see, all about ballet.

A noise coming from upstairs made them stand still but as other, lighter noises, and music followed, they relaxed slightly. So, the ballerina was at home but in the dancing studio.

"Look, these photos and articles here are all about Marpessa Helarineas. She was a ballerina. Hm, my coach told me about her but I don't remember… All I know is that she didn't have a good ending."

"All the articles here in the centre are about a dancing company." Added Jubia.

"We should find the others before she finishes her dancing up there."

"Yes, I don't think there's much to learn from here besides she likes this ballerina."

They went towards the stairs.

Natsu looked around. This was the ballerina's bedroom, the space where supposedly she would be more relaxed. He looked around once again. He was completely surrounded by _pink_! The bed, the walls, the curtains, the desk, whatever was on the desk, the bedside table. Only the door of the room and the wardrobe's ones were brown. And… a small box that was on the desk's chair. Its bright blue was glaring against the pink of the room – even if it was partially covered by a pink jacket. The girl hadn't passed by a '_I love pink' _kind of girl.

"Erza, look at this." He said as he was removing the box's lid. Inside a yellowish rumpled paper supported a sober white sheet.

"It says :

'_A queen of hearts, a diamond knight,_

_a starless sky, no moonlight_

_The world just makes no sense.'_"

"Do you have any idea about the meaning?"

"It sounds a little familiar. I think I heard someone talk about it, from a book… Maybe Lucy knows. We have to find them." A bump on the wall made Erza shut up. "Let's go before she finds us."

Natsu opened the door slowly. They walked silently towards the stairs. They were very shocked when they got face to face with their friends. Then a voice made them all freeze.

"I thought I had heard noises. What are you doing in my house?" said a blonde head, hair caught in a bun. Her blue eyes pierced them to the core. Lucy was the first to react.

"We're here to talk to you. As you may have noticed, the village down there has requested help to stop you." The girl snorted.

"Yeah, those weaklings tried to trap me. Meh, I was too smart and they showed how dumb they were." She crossed her arms in front of her. "And, what do you have in store? You're the first ones to manage to get up here."

"We don't want to fight. Right now I'm more interested in knowing your motives to be acting like this."

"You want to hear my story? Very well. Accompany me to the living room." They descended the stairs. The boys and Erza were ready to act at any danger notice. But Etra just walked.

"Please, sit." She lit the fire and sat in the chair that was turned to the wall with the pictures, etc. She extended her arms at Happy, who cautiously sat in her lap. She petted him as she leaned back and started her story.

"You see, my dream was to become a ballerina. One that could be in the Olympia Company – that's the most privileged company in the country – and be a prima ballerina.

I had classes here and acquired some success, I was very applied, always training and had the approval of my peers and when I decided to take the step to lead me to my dream I auditioned to the Lerna Dance Company. This is one of the smaller companies from where the Olympia Company gets its dancers.

I was extremely excited so when my turn came, I did everything perfectly according to my routine. Some that came after me did some major errors. When the auditions ended they lined up and started calling names. I was certain that a place was mine. But when they called some of the girls that I had seen doing errors and not me, I started suspecting something. They dismissed us and many girls – worst dancers than me – had been called. I asked them that. Their answer was that they knew from where I came. The village of Marpessa Helarineas (who had been discovered by them). She had been a terrible finding as she almost made the company bankrupt, almost dragging them with her in her fall and her death. So, because I was from the same village and they were so superstitious they didn't give me a chance. I was mortified. When I returned home I was still in such a state of shock… Only gramps helped me. One day he asked me to help clean his attic. That's when I found the box. It had Marpessa's _pointes_ shoes. I wanted to throw them out – she was the cause of my troubles after all – but then I read the notes. She had, in part, cursed having been born in such a small place that had cost her her dream but she planned to return, with _Ambrosys_, one of the hardest dance. The other note had the prompt for the dance, in verse."

"Oh, do you mean the one with the queen and the knight?" asked Erza.

"Yes, that's the one. And I, trying to succeed where she failed, wanted to show them how I could follow my dream despite adversity. That is why I practise everyday."

"Don't you think it's a bit too much to destroy the village?"

"No! Because of them…" she was already _en pointes_, her eyes boring holes into them.

"I have an idea! And that way we can both help you and the village." Said Lucy.

"You do? What can we do?" all the voices raised at the same time and asked the same questions.

"All we have to do is help you perform _Ambrosys_, with people from different companies to judge. Then you may be selected by others – and the ones from Lerna Company see it – and the villagers will be content. What do you think?"" she asked.

"That… that's just perfect Lucy!" they congratulated her.

"We have to start things now. There's much to do!"

"Yes!" they all shouted.

A week later a part of the town (train station included) was rebuilt and behind the row of houses a big stage had been built – that was where all the action would happen.

Much expectation had been made and everyone wanted to be at the première of the destroying ballerina, as they called her.

Finally, the première night came.

Backstage, they were all very excited. The act of performing wasn't exactly new to the group and it had been a bit difficult to adapt a dance to something they could perform and where the dance remained an important part. They were a bit nervous because although they had rehearsed a lot there were always chances of something going wrong.

Finally the lights from the stage were dimmed until only the mists coming from the floor were seen. Then a beam of red light showed Etra, the Queen of Hearts, that was bound to the world by a curse that only the diamond Knight (a stagefright-less Erza) could break. The knight was thrown into a strange world, where there was no moon or stars. With his trusted friend, the elf (Natsu), they had to find the Time Priestess (Lucy) to bring back the moon and the stars and find a way to lift the Queen's curse.

The Priestess worked with the Shadow King (Gray) who, having been turned down by the Queen of Hearts, had cast the curse.

The play was running perfectly. Tearing gut-wrenching sobs from the audience with the Queen's Lament and the last scene, where she died, falling from the tower to the sea (courtesy of Happy and Jubia – who had been reminded by Lucy that Gray was going out with Natsu) when she realized that the world didn't make sense anymore.

Etra danced flawlessly, she looked ethereal even. When they finished the act, the final notes being played, silence settled over the audience. Then loud cheers erupted and greeted them.

Everyone from the jury wanted Etra to audition to their companies (they didn't care about stupid superstitions when the quality of her work with these amateur performers had been so astounding) and Etra had the pleasure of seeing the other company dance director having an earful at not choosing her.

Magazines wanted to do articles about her and Marpessa was, again, an important theme both in the village and the dance world.

The village was returning to normal and Etra's house was on the ground again.

The group was having lunch with Etra's family. A relaxed afternoon.

"Erza I have something for you."

Etra returned with the blue box in her hands. "The shoes are inside, I noticed that they aren't red anymore." She handed the box and sat on the chair, composing her light blue dress. Blue eyes now greeted you comfortingly instead of piercing.

"It must be because the curse has been lifted. Now the owner can finally rest."

"We better get going. Hey, where are Natsu and Gray?" Asked Lucy.

"I saw them going to the backyard… oh…" Jubia stopped mid-sentence, realizing something.

Lucy put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry Jubia, one day you'll find someone."

"But I don't want…"

Erza interrupted her, barking at the window. "Come on boys! Our train's going to depart in 15 minutes." A sudden yelp was all the answer she received.

The group left the house in a hurry, running. Erza was the first with the luggage, Lucy and Etra (who was accompanying them to give her farewells) trying to comfort Jubia and the boys and Happy were trailing behind.

They had a train to catch.

**The End**

**A/N2:** It was fun to write this fic. I simply couldn't stop until it was out; now I may concentrate with the study. Can you notice how rusty I am with lemons? I'm sorry if it is a bit confusing…

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read and, please, review.

**A/N3:** This story has been edited due to ffn's directives. If you're interested in reading the complete story you can head to my Livejournal. Thank you.


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